It is impossible to emulate Gayle: Virat Kohli

Royal Challengers Bangalore player Chris Gayle covers his head during a practice session for Champions league 2011 at National Cricket Academy ground in Bangalore.

Chris Gayle is considered as one of the hardest hitting openers of the game and India vice-captain Virat Kohli feels that it's difficult to emulate the West Indian because matching his exploits is almost impossible.

"I understand that it's better to play to your own strengths rather than emulating someone like Chris because matching him is almost impossible. Only he can bat like that," said Kohli.

"Chris Gayle is the the hardest hitter of the cricket ball in the world," he added.

Kohli, who shares the dressing room with Gayle as a part of the IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore, however admitted that batting with the talismanic opener could be extremely intimidating.

"The most difficult thing is to keep yourself safe!," he said jokingly.

"On a serious note, batting with someone like Gayle can be very intimidating. When you see him batting like that at the other end, you might get bogged down with the pressure of coping with his strike-rate.

"It also works the other way. You don't need to worry about the scoring rate because he's doing all the hitting at the other end. You only have to ensure the wickets are intact," Kohli told IPL's official website.

Kohli, who had also led the Royal Challengers in the last edition of the IPL in the absence of injured skipper Daniel Vettori, said leading the team was "a fun experience".

"I was a bit nervous in the beginning. But once I took the field and started to think as a captain, I was fine. I was very well-supported by everyone in the team in terms of what I planned and what fields I wanted to set. That made me pretty relaxed. It was a fun experience for me," he revealed.